Dec 19, 2010

Wedding candy buffets - easy and affordable with beautiful glass apothecary jars in various sizes and shapes. No delicious display would be complete without jelly beans and let's face it, Jelly Belly is the very best. To create a stylish buffet to suit every age and taste, try to have 8 to 10 different types of candy including M&Ms (most popular candy in America from east coast to west), sixlets, mints, lollipops, licorice, jelly beans and color coated Jordan Almonds. For every 100 guests, 50 pounds of candy should be sweet and satisfying. Check out this great step by step tutorial on how to set up a candy buffet. The one shown is a baby shower buffet, but you get the idea. And here's why I recommend you add Jelly Belly jelly beans:

Nov 11, 2010

UGH!!!! I am so upset at my family especially my mother! I want to do something unique for my wedding, so I bought the most beautiful red stilletos! It took me weeks to find just the right pair. Everyone knows I enjoy wearing colorful, over-the-top heels in my everyday life so I found it fitting and a little touch of my true self to do the same thing at my wedding, but my mother is beyond mad. What should I do?

On an online forum, the bride-to-be was seeking honest answers to this wedding day decision that would seemingly embarrass her mother in front of family and friends and banish her from church potlucks and Saturday night bingo. Most agreed she should wear the shoes and so do I. Who said white is right?

Oct 24, 2010

Hand painted wedding glasses - made to resemble your fabulous friends in every last detail. Each custom wine glass will fit the character and appearance of each bride or bridesmaid, according to hair color, hair length, glasses, jewelry and dresses worn on the day of your wedding. These don't come cheap at $25 each plus $12.50 for shipping, but will be a well-loved keepsake and bridal party gift.

Oct 18, 2010

Bridal shower sugar cookies made so easy with a simple recipe from the back of a Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix. The challenging part will be overcoming your fear of royal icing, which you'll be happy to discover takes only three ingredients and is ready in just 7 minutes. These heart shaped cookies look professionally made but the decorating is well within your expertise. Only two Wilton cake decorating tips were used to make these adorable designs. A small leaf tip and a round tip (for the dots and swirls), that you can also use to write names and initials. Serve on your favorite vintage plates and platters.

Oct 1, 2010

Lazaro wedding dresses - glamorous and dramatic silhouettes. Rich embroidery and lovely bejeweled bodices are what make the Lazaro collection (for JLM Couture in West Hollywood, California) one of the most sought-after bridal labels in the world. But not the most affordable. These hand-beaded and embroidered wedding dresses with lavish tulle layers and ruffled trains may not be within every bride's budget. But for many, walking down the aisle in a Lazaro bridal gown is money well spent and the ultimate wedding fantasy come true.

Sep 25, 2010

Autumn wedding centerpieces - made with pumpkin shaped candles, pine cones and fall colored flowers. So many prickly pine cones in my front yard and back, I could dress up a dozen tables for less than I paid for my Caesar Chicken Salad at two o'clock today. Using what our beautiful planet has to provide - fruits, nuts, twigs, grape vines, berries, branches, pine cones, pumpkins and dried wheat - just feels more responsible than paper and plastic. Fall colored candles cast their warm glow all over the room. It makes you feel cozy and comfortable, and glad that you came.

Aug 25, 2010

Consignment wedding dresses - there's definitely pros and cons. As the former owner of a consignment formalwear store, I was told my pleasing (but not pushy) sales pitch was what my brides loved best. I enjoyed their visit even if they headed out the door empty handed. So if you welcome another woman's friendly advice, it's definitely something you may want to consider. Smaller bridal store = great customer service. Before you walk in with your wallet, introduce yourself over the phone with these time-saving questions:

Are the dresses less than three years old making sure that styles are classy and current?

Do the original owners provide date and place of purchase, size and name of the designer?

Have your consignment dresses been cleaned and pressed?

Are some of these brand new gowns - with the original tags - that were part of another store's inventory?

Have alterations been made, especially hem length?

What kind of selection do you have in my size and what is the general price range?

Aug 22, 2010

Small maps tucked inside a wedding invitation may not make sense to out of state guests at first glance, but become indispensable on The Big Day when they start down a straight road that says “Virginia Beach Boulevard” and soon find it has morphed into something called “Laskin Road.” Start from the major freeway closest to your ceremony site and map the location from there.

Everyone one of course will want to know your reception site (location of the promised Grilled Beef Tenderloin on Scotch Barley Risotto), affordable hotels and well-loved restaurants, your rehearsal dinner location, morning-after brunch (ditto for the Apple Crepes with Vanilla Sauce). And by all means, add extra information to the directions including what street means you've gone too far.

Aug 10, 2010

Daisy wedding cakes - so light and lovely for a spring bridal shower, luncheon or afternoon tea. Sweetopia offers easy to follow instructions on how to make gum paste daisies. They recommend making daisies out of gum paste rather than fondant for two reasons - they hold their shape better, and the detail is amazing. Unlike fondant, gum paste is made of egg whites, shortening and confectioner's sugar, that dries hard and makes the flowers (edible but not especially tasty) easy to remove.

Aug 5, 2010

Engraved beach pebbles - wouldn't these make the perfect little thank you for coming to our wedding gift? Imagine the surprise when instead of receiving the usual candle or coaster, your guests are treated to a smooth beach pebble, a frosty white or natural river rock perfectly engraved with their very own names. Research shows we all light up at the sound of our own names, we're funny that way. These personalized engraved pebbles, a truly one of a kind keepsake, will cost you $680 for a set of eighty with a $40 shipping fee. Not the most affordable wedding favor, but one that will last a lifetime. The sacred art of stone engraving - share it with the ones you love most.

Jul 27, 2010

A fall wedding means exchanging vows in the most sensational outdoor setting your state or hometown has to offer. Here in Virginia that means surrounded by sweet golden sunflowers, tall pines and lovely copper leaves. A beautiful backdrop like no other as seen in this first wedding photo. Even The Terrace Room at The Plaza Hotel (most expensive wedding venue in NYC) can't compete with what Mother Nature has to offer - magnificent red sugar maples, lovely fragrant lavender, majestic mountain peaks and valleys, and room for kids to run around. Cozy and uncomplicated. Everything you want or need. A rustic fall wedding ceremony with fresh air, family and well-loved friends.

Jul 20, 2010

Catalina Island weddings - why not yours at the Catalina Casino, an exquisite Art Deco landmark, surrounded by the sea on three sides. Fifty foot ceilings and sparkling Tiffany chandeliers above you and an enormous maple, oak and rich rosewood dance floor below. All of the Hollywood elite of the 1930s and 40s elbowed their way through these elegant French doors to see and be seen. I grew up a short twenty mile ferry ride from Santa Catalina Island and there's a good reason they call it the "Island of Romance." A sweeping outdoor veranda surrounds the lavish vintage ballroom with breathtaking views of nearby Avalon Bay where it's possible to see seals and dolphins swimming in the clear blue waters below.

Jul 15, 2010

Personalized chocolate lollipops - available in heart shaped or round, are available in dark, milk, or white chocolate and are packaged in a cello bag with a white satin bow. How much? About $3.50 each, unless you order more than 50 and then the price goes down...a little. As shown, your photo and custom message can be printed on the front or choose from one of these beautiful designs - beach theme, butterfly, damask, double happiness, fall, flowers, garden, and holiday inspired snowflakes.

Jul 7, 2010

Dad, who taught you that jumper cables are your friend and not something to be feared, and Mom who taught you that strangers should be feared and are not your friends, deserve your blessings and praise. And, of course, his parents deserve the same. These messages I borrowed from Wedding Program Thank You Messages and reworded them especially for parents.

Special thanks to our loving parents, whose wisdom and guidance shaped our lives and helped make possible this joyous celebration of everlasting love.

Being a witness to the first day of our married lives together, we humbly thank our parents for blessing us with their unconditional love and support.

May God bless our parents for raising us with patience and guidance, and being present to celebrate the love we will cherish forever.

Today, in the presence of our loving parents, family and friends, we have promised our love and devotion and our gratitude is boundless.

Bless our parents for honoring us at this sacred celebration. Their unconditional love has been a steady presence; the rock upon all present and future happiness is built.

We take great pride in honoring our parents today. Their constant devotion has helped us grow into loving adults and made possible this cherished celebration of everlasting love.

Jun 25, 2010

If you're looking for something that says "simple yet sophisticated" you may want to consider one of these stylish custom wedding signs. For sixty dollars or less, Amie will create one of these vintage inspired wedding signs with large letters, monograms and Fleur De Lis designs. The "Shoes Optional" sign looks friendly and fun. Hand painted in black or chocolate brown, these antique white wedding signs are personalized with your names and wedding date, and other little details to make your day a dream come true.

Jun 19, 2010

Scottish based designer William Chambers sees bridal headpieces differently from you or I. He draws his inspiration from his own flower-filled garden. His creations are made with traditional fabrics like felt and sinamay (woven from the stalks of the abaca tree) with unusual materials such as latex, plastic and metallic leather to dramatic effect. His hat making philosophy appears to be "progressive and desirable." He opened his hat shop in Glasgow City Centre in 2014 and exhibits his highly valued hats two times a year during London Fashion Week.

Jun 15, 2010

Easy wedding cake monograms - courtesy of Rianne, from The Art of Dessert. She was forced to give up the pursuit of one day becoming a pastry chef because of a difficult pregnancy and the premature birth of her son. Now a stay-at-home mother, she spent almost an entire year learning how to bake without using peanuts, seafood, eggs, wheat, soy or dairy because of her son’s multiple food allergies. In addition to her recipes, she gives an amazing step-by-step tutorial on how to make fondant monograms, so simple that if you know your way around rolled fondant and are handy with a small paintbrush, you’ll be a master in no time.

How to Make a Monogrammed Wedding Cake

Supplies needed:

rolled fondant and fondant rolling pin

plaque cutter

clear alcohol (lemon abstract or vodka)

rectangular cookie cutter

monogram template

gold luster dust

paintbrush

pizza cutter

Brush the back of letters with alcohol before placing them on the fondant plaque and then mix the gold luster dust with alcohol to create the gold paint.